Rotary steam engine



G. SHIELDS.

'ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION man umso. |919.

1,406,503., Famed Feb. 14, 1922.

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ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION flu-:D 11m30.191s.

1,406,503. Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

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mica/1to1 To all whom t may concern Unir-ED STATES PATENT `(DifiiitlEL.

GEORGE sHIELns, or wrNsLow, wasrrinaron, Assis-non or cnn-Hair ro CHARLES L. MORRILL, or winsnow, WASHINGTON.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

Specification'of Letters Patent. patented Feb, 14:, 1922.

Application filed December 30, 1919. Serial No. A$18,337'.

Be it lrnown that II, Gnonsn SHIELDS, a citizen or the United States, and resident of lVinslow, rKitsap County,y State ory Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam Engines, ot which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, and more particularly to steam driven engines of that character lwherein a rotor disk, fixed to a centraldriving sha-ft is equipped with al plurality of peripheral pistons which move revolubly within an annular expansion chamber under the drivingl pressure oi steam delivered thereagainst, to eiiect continuous and steady rotation of the driving shaft. A

The principal objectoi' the invention is to provide a. rotary, steam driven engine wherein the greatest possible efliciency or steam is obtained and an eilicient and easily opferated engine is provided. Y

It is also an object of the invention to equip the engine with` a steam control valve which may be adjusted to eiieot reverse driving of the rotor and to lregulate the speed oi rotation thereof. Y

In accomplishino these, and .other objects of the invention,` have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated lin the accompanying drawings, wherein: f

Figure 1 is a central, vertical section oit an engine constructed according tothe present invention, the section beingtalren in ka plane perpendicular to the axisof the rotor.

Figure 2 isa transverse, Vvertical section centrally of the engine. f

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the engine. Figure i is a sectional view, substantially on the line i- 4 of Figure 1, illustrating the valve mechanism and swinging abutments.

Figure 5 is a transverse section or the steam control valve. Y f Figure 6 lis a sectional view oi' the same, on the line 6-6 or Figure 5. p

Referring more in detail to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate the opposite 'face plates forming the rotor housing, and which are substantially circular in form and provided about their peripheries with flanges '3 where-A through bolts i may beeXt-ended to secureY the plates tightly together. in a steam tight fit. These plates are also provided with integrally formed, horizontally extending, base iianges 5 for receiving anchor bolts whereby the engine may be securely fixed ony a base or foundation and held in functional driving position when in operation. l i l Formed centrally on each of the face plates are outwardly extending earinghubs .6, and revolubly mounted therein and entend ing at opposite sides or the housing is rotor in an annular steam expansion 'chamber 12 Y that is formed by and between the two plates.

l Mounted within a tightly enclosed housing 1,4, the base of which maybe formed integral with the plates 1 and 2, is a pair Aor oppositely swinging valves 15 and 15, which v'are suspended by means or arms 16 and 16 from a pivot shaft 17 that is mounted between ears 18,dep'ending from the top plate of' the housing. Y p

y The valve plates 15, 15r are slightly wedgesha-ped and are adapted to swing transversely across the expansion chamber 12 and to move within a slot 19 cut in the plates across the chamberso that, when they come together theywill form an abutment which will tightly close the chamber this point. y The arms 16, 16, which suspend theplates 15, 15', are of particular 'form in that they comprise inwardly curved portions 20 which overlap eachother when the plates carried thereby arein position to close the chamber, and form two open spaces between the arms adjacent the overlapped portions.

Leaf springs 21 are mounted within the housing to engage the arms 16, 16 to normally retain the plates insuch position that they close the chamber. .v

It is apparent that in order to permit the pistons to revolve within the chamber, the abutment, or cover plates, must be removed therefrom. A This is accomplished by means of a roller 25 which is fixedv on a shaft 26, revolubly Ymounted in the housing 14, and having one end extending thereironiwhich ,is lprovided with a sprocket wheel 2rove'r revolve the roller. The roller is provided with radially extending posts 30 which'are adapted to engage the overlapped portions 20 of the arms 16, 16', as t-he roller revolves to spread the arms apart and thereby move the abutment plates from Athechamber.

The posts 8O are arranged on the roller 25 in angular positions to correspond to the spacing of the pistons on the rotor disk and the roller is driven at the same angular speedas the rotor shaft so that, as each piston nears the abutment plates, a postBO engages the arms 16, 16', to move the abutment plates outwardly from the chamber to permit the piston to pass, and as the post Jasses the swinoino` arms the latter are forced inwardly by the springs 21 bearing thereagainst to again close the chamber as soon as thelpiston has passed the valve Steam to drive the pistons is admitted into the chamber at either side of the`abutment formed by the valve plates in closed positions; the two inlets being provided so as to drive the rotor in a forward or reverse direction. l

A- valve is provided to control the flow of steam into the chamber. This valve comprises an external housing 41, having a steam inlet pipe 42 opening thereinto at one end and having connecting-pipes 43 and 44 leading from opposite sides thereofA into the chamber 12 at opposite sides of the swing valve.

A sleeve 45 is mounted within the housing 41 and has two openings 46V and 47 therein which may be moved separately into registration with the openings into vthe pipes 43 and 44; the sleeve having a stem 48 extending' from the housingv provided with a handle 49 whereby the sleeve is actuated;

Interiorly of the sleeve 45 is a similar sleeve 50 provided? withthree openings 51 and having an axial stem 52 which extends from the housing and has a sprocket wheel 53 thereon which is driven by a chain belt 54 operating` over a wheel 55 ot the same size, on the shaft- 7.

Exhaust pipes GO and 61 lead from the chamber to the atmosphere and are controlled by valves 63 and 64, respectively.

Assuming the parts to be so constructed and assembled as described, to operate the engine steam is admitted into the valve 40 through the supply pipe 42 and by manipulation of the valve sleeve 45 bythe lever 49 the steam is directed. through either the pipe 43 01144 into the chamber 12 where it acts against the pistons to drive the rotor; it being apparent that steam delivered intothe chamber through the pipe 44 will drive the rotor in an opposite direction than when admitted through pipe 43.

As the shaft 7 rotates, the. roller 25 and Y sleeve 50 also rotate at the same angular speed. The pests 30 on theroller are so timed that they will engagethe arms 16, 16 to move the abutment valve plates 15, 15 from the path of the pistons at the proper time, and the sleeve 50 revolves so that the open and closed spaces therein cut off the steam during the interval the pistons are passing the swinging valve but admit it when this valve is closed.

If steam is admitted through the pipe 44 it drives the rotor, as shown in Figure 1, in a counter clockwise direction and is discharged through the pipe the pipe 61 being closed, while if admitted through pipe 43 it drives the rotor clockwise and is discharged through pipe 61 with the pipe 60 closed.

' The direction of travel is, therefore, governed by the positioning of the sleeve 45 and theKV rate of travel by the amount of opening that is `brought into registration with the connecting piperopenings. It can be readily understood that, if the manually controlled sleeve 45 is actuated in a. manner that will `bring either of the openings therein into partial registration with the ports of either Aof the connecting steam pipes, the

action of the steam against the pistons with-l in the cylinder will be partly by expansion depending on the extent the opening in the sleeve 45 is exposed.

The pistons may be provided with piston rings of the ordinary type and the ianges 3 provided with a packing ring, as indicated at 70, so `that leakage will be prevented.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p'

, In a rot-ary engine of the class described, the combination with a housing forming an annular expansion chamber; said chamber having a slot transversely therethrough and having steam inlet and exhaust conduits opening thereto at opposite sides of said slot, a rotor shaft revoluble within the housing, a disk fixed on said sha-ft, pistons mounted on said disk and revolu-ble within said chamber, of a pair of pivotally mounted arms, having abutment members at the free ends thereof adapted to swing from opposite directions into said slot to close said chamber, said arms having inwardly curved portions overlapping eachother when said chamber is closed, a: roller revolubly mounted adja` cent Vsaid arms, means for driving said roller from said rotor shaft and posts extendable from said roller engageablc with said arms to actuate the abutments from the chamber to permit the pistons to pass thereby.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, `this 15th day of December` 1919. GEORGE SHELDS. 

